Method of making cop tubes



Nov. 7, 1933.

'G. A. ANDERSON METHOD OF MAKING COP TUBES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug.1, 1930 NOV. 7, 1933. (-1 ANDERSON 7 1,934,652

METHOD OF MAKING COP TUBES Filed Aug. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I71 U677for Patented Nov. 7,1933

"PAT

QFFICE 1,934, 52 METHOD or MAKING cor TUBES Gustave Albert Anderson,Attleboro, Mass, as-

signer to Lewis 1%. Smith, receiver of Apco Moss.- berg Qorporation,Attleboro, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 1,1930. Serial No. 472,419

' 1 Claim. (c1. 29-170) My present invention relates to cop tubes foruse in loom shuttles, and includes a novel method of manufacturing thesame;

Many different types of cop. tubes are in use at the present time,including wooden tubes, paper or cardboard tubes, seamed metal tubes,cast tubes, and others. All of these present tubes, ofwhich I am aware,have many disadvantages. For example, the wooden' tubes are susceptibleto splitting, and to swelling understeaming. The paper tubes are veryfragileand are capable of use but a very few number of times, frequentlyonly once. The seamed tubes are weak, are easily bent, and can not, as ageneral rule be restored to normal condition. Cast tubes are thick andbulky, and are not desirable for general commercial use.

In present day weaving work electric feeler devices are coming intocommon ,usega finger of these devices being located adjacent to the cop,to apprise the operator when a cop is empty, or

unwound. a

Thus, when these electric feeler devices are utilized the wooden andpaper cop tubes are useless, as the feeler devices can notclose acircuit through the same. Y

An important object of the present invention, therefora'resides in theprovision of a metallic cop tube which will be thin. and light, and yetof great strength, being preferably composed of metal of highconductivity.- 1'

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a cop tubewhich will be seamless and will, therefore, have no points of inherentweakness. I 7

Another object of myinvention resides in the particular process ormethod by which my'novel cop tubes are produce-:1 or manufactured. v,

In'carrying out the present invention-I utilize a-slug or billet ofcurrent conducting metaLpreferablyhav'ing a central bore or aperturetherethrough. This billet is placed in an extruding die, and theextruding punch will'force the metal of the billet out of the die awayfrom the punch.

extruded tube,-at this stage of manufacture, is I The dieing cylindricalin contour, and for many types of cop tubes it is desirable that thesame shall be tapered or reduced in diameter from the head portion tothe open end.

As the next step in my novel process, therefore,

when desirable, I subject the extruded cop tube to a swaging operation,which will result in ta- 'pering the cop tube about an arbor, whilesimultaneously lengthening the said cop tube. I may also provide the coptube, whether swaged or cylindrical, with a plurality of concentric orparto wear and distortion, and it is, therefore, highly desirable tohave this headedendreenforced in order to withstand such wear anddistortion.

As a further step in my method I may provide the coptube as abovedescribed with a tubular sleeve member pressed into the headed end ofthe cop tube, said pressed member also having ahead which is preferablyspaced from the head on the cop tube to provide an annular groovebetween the two-heads, within which groove the shuttle fingers abovereferred to will seat. 7

'I may also desire to provide a collar or ferrule within said annulargroove, of harder material than the material of the cop tube itself, inorder fingers during the reciprocation of the shuttle and the blows andshocks subjected. v

mOther features of the invention reside in the particular constructionand arrangement of parts of the cop tubes, and the above and otherfeatures of the invention, details of construction, and advantages, willbe hereinafter more fully pointed outas thedescription of the inventionprogresses. Referring-to the drawings, illustrating preferredembodiments of the present-invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the billetor slug lQO utilized; I

Fig. 2'is a cross sectional fragmentary view of the slug in anextrudingdie preparatory to the extruding operation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view,

to which the same is t,

.to prevent damage to the cop tube by the shuttle illustrating thecompletion of the extruding oper- L ation;

Fig. i is a side elevation of the extruded'cop tube;

Fig S is a fragmentary cross sectional View of ,llO

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the swaged and lengthened cop tube;

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal sectional View of the swaged tube with theconcentric grooves formed.

therein; 1

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, illustratinga modified type of head;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional View of a cop tube with a separateheaded member pressed therein;

Fig. 1G is a longitudinal sectional viewsimilar to Fig. 9, but with theaddition of the reenforcing strengthening collar or ferrule;

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional View of a modified form of cop tube;

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of a still furthermodification; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, illustratinga-modified type of reenforced head. Referring now to the drawings for aparticular description of the invention, and the method of carrying outthe same, 1 designates a billet or slug of suitable current conductingmetal, such as aluminum, having a central bore or aperture 2therethrough. This slug is placed in an extruding die 3 having shoulders4 on which the slug rests, the bore 5 of the die being of a greaterdiameter than the punch 10,this difierence in diameter representing thethickness of the extruded tube.

Fixed to the under side of the die 3 is a cylindrical housing 6, withinwhich is slidably mounted a plunger '7 having a head 8' normally heldagainst the bottom of the die 3 by a coiled spring 9. A punch 10 isforced downwardly by any suitable power means, the punch 10 entering thebore 2 v of the slug 1 and being of substantially the same diameterassaid bore. 7 The body 11 of the punch 10 is of substantially the samediameter as the bore 12 of the die 3 in which. the slug 1 is positioned.Pressure on the punch 10 will, therefore, result in an extrusion of themetal of the slug 1 downwardly through the bore 5, and hence away fromthe punch 10,- resulting in the production of a tubular cylinder 13. Asthe tube 13 is extruded 'it will depress the plunger 7 against thetension of the spring 9 and the dieing operation is continued until onlysufficient metal is left in the bore 12 to form a head 14 on the tube13. Thereupon the punch 10 is retracted, and the pressure of the coiledspring 9 will then force the tube 13 upwardly, ejecting it from the die3. The cop tube as thus formed is clearly illustrated in Fig. 4, and itmay now be desirable to subject the tube 13 to a swaging operation totaper the same. This may be accomplished in a conventional swagingmachine, wherein the tube 13 is. placed on an arbor 15 in a swaging head16. Rotation of the shaft 17 will cause repeated impacts of the hammers18 against the tube 13, and will conform said tube to the shape of thearbor 15, resulting not only in tapering the tube 13, but in lengtheningthe same,

as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6.

for use in a shuttle, the head '14 cooperating with the usual retainingfingers in the shuttle to prevent longitudinal displacement of the coptube in said shuttle. The tube 13 being constructed of currentconducting material, adapts itself readily to cooperation with theelectric detecting tube 23 turned down at the end as illustrated atfingers to indicate when the cop tube 13 is empty or unwound. Cop tubesconstructed according to my invention arelight in weight, and arepossessed of considerable strength, and will not warp or swell undervarying conditions of moisture or dryness.

'In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a cop tube 13 formed with the grooves 19,but having a slightly modified form of head 20 which is constructed witha larger recess 21 than the recess 22 in the head 14, thus resulting ina saving of materiaL'and requiring merely a slight change in the shapeof the punch body 11.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a cylindrical cop 24 and provided with theparallelly arranged grooves 25. The tube 23 has a head 26, and aseparate tubular member 27 is pressed into the headed end of the tube23, the tubular member 27 also having a head 28 thereon, the two heads26 and 28 forming therebetween an annular groove 29-within which theshuttle fingers will seat. When constructed of aluminum, forciblypressing the tubular member 2'7 into the tube 23 will unite the twotubular members 23 and 27 in a permanent union, it being impossible toretract the member 27 without destruction of the tube 23. I v i In Fig.10 I have illustrated thetube 23 without the grooves 25, and have alsoillustrated a ferrule or collar 30, preferably comprising two identicalsections, as illustrated, surrounding the tubular member 27 andinterposed between the heads 26 and 28, being held in firm position bythe pressing of the member 27 into the tube :23. These two sections 30will form an annular groove 31 for the reception of the shuttle fingers,and preferably of a metal of considerably greater hardness than themetal of the members 23 and27. Thus the shuttle fingers will not have adeterrent effect upon the cop tube, since said fingers will engage thehard collar 30 instead of the relatively soft metal of the tubes 23 and27 and heads 26 and 28.

In Fig.'11 I have illustrated a modified type of cop tube 32 providedwith the parallelly arranged grooves 33 and turned at the end asillustrated at 34. The tube 32 is provided with a thickened conicalstepped portion 35, which may be formed in the swaging die withoutdifficulty, the tubular member 36 being pressed therein and having ahead 37 and a shoulder portion 38 adapted to bear against the head 39 ofthe tube 32, to positively determine the width of the annular groove 40formed by the heads 3'? and 39. This tapered portion of the tube 32, incooperation with the electric detecting fingers, will apprise theoperator in ample time before complete unwinding of I the thread on thecop tube 32, so that anew cop tube may be in readiness for replacementinstantly upon emptying of the cop tube in the shuttle. 4

In Fig. 12 I have illustrated a cop tube 41 turned at its outer. end asat 42, and having a head'43 and a shouldered portion 44, a conicalstepped sleeve 45 being pressed over the sleeve 41 from the end 42thereof, until the head 46 of-the sleeve'45 abuts against the shoulderedportion 44 of the head 43, the heads 43 and 46 thus forming an annulargroove47 for. the reception of the shuttle fingers. The tube 41 with itshead 43 and shouldered portion 44 may be extruded in the same manner asabove described.

In Fig. 13 -I have illustrated a slight further modification wherein thecop tube '48 is pro- 159 vided with a small head 49, and a separate head50 of hardened steel or other metal is pressed over the said tube, thehead 50 having a shouldered recess 51 in which the head 49 will seatwhen the cop tube is in completed assembly.

Since it is the headed end of the cop tube which must withstand thegreatest wear and distortion, this reenforced head 50 will result inlonger life of the cop tube 48.

I believe that my method of manufacturing cop tubes, as above described,is novel, and I have, therefore, claimed said method in thisapplication.

I also believe that a cop tube produced according to my invention, andpossessed of the advantageous features above described, is novel, and Ihave, therefore, also claimed said tubes in this case.

While I have necessarily described my present invention somewhat indetail, it willbe appreciated that I may vary the size, shape andarrangement of parts, within reasonably wide limits, without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

Myinvention is further described and defined in the form of a claim asfollows:

The improved method of manufacturing metallic cop tubes having arelatively soft metal portion for the cop tube, and a relatively hardmetal portion for the collar, which consists in positioning a billet ofmetal in a die, subjecting said billet to pressure by a plunger,extruding the metal of said billet from said die and away from saidplunger to form a cylinder, stopping the pressure on said billet at apredetermined point to provide a head on said cylinder of greaterdiameter than said cylinder, then pressing a tubular sleeve into saidcylinder from the headed end thereof, said sleeve being provided with ahead of substantially the same diameter as the head on said cylinder,then applying a collar of harder metal than said cylinder or said sleeveon said sleeve, and thereupon clamping said collar between the saidheads to provide an annular groove of predetermined width.

GUSTAVE ALBERT ANDERSON.

